1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a food and/or beverage container for storing liquid or semi-liquid contents and more particularly to a food and/or beverage container having a stirring mechanism for stirring or agitating the contents of the container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people enjoy foods and/or beverages are created from two or more separate components stirred or mixed together. For example, many people enjoy coffee drinks (such as a café mocha) including two or more components (e.g., espresso, steamed milk, and chocolate syrup) stirred or mixed together. The quality and enjoyability of such drinks depend upon how well the components are stirred or mixed together. Occasionally, such foods and/or beverages separate over time into two or more components may be reintegrated by stirring. Further, foods and/or beverages that include a particulate component suspended in a liquid component may experience settling in which the particulate component settles out of the liquid component. The enjoyability of beverages having components that have separated or settled may be improved through stirring, which will reintegrate separated components and re-suspend the particulate component in the liquid component.
Hot chocolate typically includes a particulate component (e.g., shaved chocolate or cocoa powder) suspended in a liquid component (e.g., hot water or milk) through stirring or agitation. Thus, hot chocolate is formed from two or more separate components stirred together. Further, because hot chocolate includes two or more components that may separate and a particulate component that may settle to the bottom of a drinking vessel, users may wish to stir hot chocolate occasionally.
Unfortunately, stirring a beverage can be problematic particularly when the beverage is in a vessel with a lid or the user is engaged in other activities (such as driving). To stir a beverage in a vessel with a lid, the lid must typically be removed from the vessel. This is not always practical and may result in the beverage being spilled. This is a particular concern when the user is engaged in an activity such as walking or driving. If the beverage is hot (e.g., near boiling), the user could be injured by the spilled hot liquid. Further, if the beverage is heated, removing the lid causes heat trapped in the vessel to escape, thereby cooling of the heated beverage faster than may be desired.
Therefore, a need exists for a container in which a beverage may be stirred without opening the container. The present application provides this and other advantages as will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures.